Should I Be Worried My Wife Is Obsessed With True Crime? 

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• Feodora Chiosea | Dreamstime

Dear Reverend,

My wife is obsessed with everything true crime. It started with some documentaries during the pandemic, but now she's listening to podcasts, reading books and joining online groups. She has even mentioned wanting to go to a CrimeCon convention. It's like she's becoming a murder expert. I have no interest in the stuff and find it all a little creepy. Sometimes I half-wonder if she may be plotting my demise. Should I be worried that she's gone too far?

Vicky Tem (woman, 36)

Dear Vicky Tem,

Human beings love salacious stories, and true-crime tales have been told for centuries. Their popularity has exploded recently because — with the internet and all sorts of streaming services — there are so many ways in which these stories can be delivered.

According to the website Podchaser, as of March, there were over 23,000 podcasts in the category of true crime. Other data, from the Pew Research Center, show that women are more than twice as likely as men to listen to true-crime podcasts. CrimeCon, which hosts speakers and crime experts from around the world, started in 2017. It attracts thousands of people every year, 75 percent of them women.

There are many theories about why women are so attracted to true-crime stories. One is that, unfortunately, women are more concerned about becoming victims of violent crime. By learning about the motivations and methods of a criminal, they may learn how to avoid them.

So, your wife isn't doing anything that a whole lot of other people — mostly women — aren't doing. Unless you seriously have a reason to think she has ill intent toward you, her obsession is most likely a harmless, and possibly educational, form of entertainment.

Good luck and God bless,

The Reverend